Morning Girl - by Michael Dorris (Paperback)

About the Book

The award-winning author of "A Yellow Raft in Blue Water" presents a tale based on an entry in the diary of Christopher Columbus that tells of a native family living in a vibrant community striving to coexist with the natural world.

Book Synopsis

Winner of the Scott O'Dell Award, this moving and poetic fictional story follows two Taíno siblings and their life in the Bahamas during the fateful year of 1492.

Morning Girl and her younger brother, Star Boy, couldn't be more different. Morning Girl relishes the day and all it has to offer, while Star Boy loves the night. As they navigate change on their island, from familial struggles to the onset of a hurricane, they realize everything that makes them different has the power to bring them closer together. This historical coming-of-age story thoughtfully portrays life in the Caribbean as well as Morning Girl and Star Boys' complex sibling bond leading up to the eve of Christopher Columbus' arrival.

Told from alternating points of view, this is a rich, lyrical story about an Indigenous Bahamian family and the strong bonds of love.

Review Quotes

A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A New York Times Book Review Notable Book
A Scott O'Dell Award Winner

* "With spare, lovely words [Dorris's] first children's book tells a surprising story about people who love and hurt."

--Booklist, starred review

* "A reverberating story of coming of age, both for the two characters and for the world."--School Library Journal, starred review

* Should be read by both children and adults for many generations to come."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Graceful and engaging...a warm story full of real characters and situations, told in marvelous language."--New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Michael Dorris wrote several acclaimed and award-winning books for young readers and adults, including Guests, The Window, and Morning Girl, which received the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.